By Julian, Member of the UPA(S) Media Team
Singapore’s inaugural appearance at the World Junior Ultimate Championships (WJUC) marked a significant milestone, showcasing the promising future of the youths in our Ultimate scene. Competing across three divisions—Mixed, Opens, and Womens—our young athletes left their mark on the global stage.
Mixed Division: A Thrilling Run to the Semifinals
The SGP Mixed team for WJUC. Photo by Andie @wjmfilms on Instagram.
Singapore’s Mixed team saw themselves seeded initially at 9th, in a strong pool B with defending champions Hungary, Canada and China. The first day of the tournament saw Singapore defeat Hungary with a scoreline of 12-7, cementing a solid start to the tournament for Singapore. A single loss to the Canada Mixed team saw Singapore end off the pools in 2nd place, earning a direct spot in the top 8 playoffs.
Singapore’s first game in the playoffs was a close game against France. France started off strong, taking the only break in the first half which ended with a scoreline of 7-6. However, the Singapore side steeled their nerves and took consecutive points against France to put them both teams on universe point. On the universe point, a score at the front cone put the game away in Singapore’s favour, sending the ecstatic Singapore team to the semifinals of the tournament with a 12-11 win.
The SGP Mixed team celebrating their victory against France in the playoffs. Photo by Andie @wjmfilms on Instagram.
Singapore faced Canada in the first game of day 6 which saw a rematch of a pool play game that ended 15-10 in Canada’s victory. Canada’s singular turnover in 9 possessions showed off their offensive capabilities which proved to be too much for Singapore to handle, as they eventually won 15-7 to move onto the finals. Singapore would be playing Hungary in the Bronze medal match.
The bronze medal match was unlike anything we’ve ever seen. The 3 hour long game ended with Hungary taking the victory over Singapore 8-7 over the Singapore team. However, the WFDF Tournament Rules Group made the call to suspend the Hungarian team from the tournament and that the bronze medal would not be awarded during the prize ceremony. More on it here https://ultiworld.com/2024/07/30/wjuc-2024-hungary-vs-singapore-fallout/
When asked about some challenges faced by the team during the lead up to WJUC, captain Caden Yew had this to say: “ As this was the first time all of us were going to WJUC, we were unsure of the opponents’ standard hence we needed to be over prepared in order to be truly ready for any opposition. This tested our mental strength, grit, and resilience.”
For Caden and his team, this trip to WJUC was about national pride and personal growth. “We are really proud to be able to play at the world stage for Singapore. Fighting alongside our teammates against the best of our generation is an eye opening experience and one that made us hungry for more.”
The Mixed team was coached by Head Coach Jonathan Yeo and supported by assistant coach Chew Chin Ye.
Opens Division: A Battle of Determination and Growth
The SGP Opens team for WJUC. Photo by Andie @wjmfilms on Instagram.
Over on the open’s division of WJUC, Singapore came in seeded 12th in a group with USA, France, Great Britain, Sweden, Columbia and Australia. Despite their strongest efforts, Singapore would fall to the bottom of the group, and play in pool C for their 9-15th place playoffs. Pool C consisted of New Zealand, Germany, Columbia, Australia, Singapore, Ireland and China.
Singapore opened their stint in pool C with a comfortable win over China, hitting the point cap with a scoreline of 15-4 to see off China’s open team. However, the next 2 games would prove tough for Singapore to handle as they played against Germany and New Zealand. The Singapore team would suffer two back-to-back defeats against the Germans and Kiwis as the games ended 15-8 and 15-10 respectively.
Spirit Captain Dillion (#42) makes a bid against New Zealand. Photo by Andie @wjmfilms on Instagram.
This meant that Singapore would only clinch 13th place if they won their last game. Singapore would play Ireland in their final game. The score at half was 8-7 in favour of Singapore. The two teams would trade points until the 20th point of the game, where Singapore scored to make the score 11-9, before embarking on a break train to bring the score to 14-9. The game eventually ended with a scoreline of 15-10, putting Singapore in 13th place in the open division of WJUC 2024.
Spirit Captain Dillion saw this trip as an opportunity for the team to test their skills against the best of their age group. “ We were anxious but excited! With WJUC being our first worlds, I was extremely excited to meet the best players around the world in my age group and have the opportunity to play against them. However, we didn’t know how we would fare against the other countries, and whether we would be able to adapt to the conditions at WJUC.”
In the midst of their journey, the Opens team forged bonds that will carry them throughout their frisbee careers. “The team definitely got more bonded as we embarked on the journey to WJUC. Despite the challenges we faced, everyone continued to put in the hard work, motivating one another to persevere throughout. The strong chemistry and bonds we had with one another really helped us to play at our best at WJUC, knowing that we had each other's backs. Through all the trainings and scrimmages with clubs to prepare ourselves for WJUC, we gained valuable experience and improved tremendously.”
The Opens team was coached by Head Coach Daryl Ho and supported by Assistant Coaches Chua Boon Hui and Joseph Goh.
Womens Division: A story of Resilience and a Fight to the Finish
The SGP Womens team for WJUC. Photo by Andie @wjmfilms on Instagram.
Singapore’s Womens team came into the tournament seeded 10th out of 11 participating teams. Singapore was seeded into Pool B, together with the France, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and Ireland teams. Pool B proved to be a challenge as Singapore won just 1 of their 6 games, taking a victory against Ireland with a scoreline of 15-0. With this result, Singapore would be repooled into Pool D, where they match up against New Zealand, Germany, Australia and Ireland. Singapore won just 1 of their games in their new pool, leading to them dropping out of contention for top 8.
The Womens team’s results so far led to Singapore being placed into Pool E instead of the playoffs for top 8. Pool E consisted of 3 teams, namely Australia, Ireland and Singapore, who were vying for 9th place. Singapore’s second game against Ireland saw a scoreline of 15-1 to Singapore, and leading to one last game against Australia that would determine their final position of either 9th or 10th place. Unlike against Ireland, the Singapore Womens team had narrowly lost their earlier game against Australia with a scoreline of 11-9.
The final game started with a callahan from Vera (#88) to give Singapore the early break against Australia, followed by another score from the Singaporean team to put them up 2-0. However, Australia managed to even the score at half time, bringing the score to 5-5. A tight second half saw the game at 9-9, bringing the game to universe point. Australia started the universe point on offence, but turned the disc over. The Singaporean team then managed to capitalise on Australia’s mistake to get the decisive break. The 10-9 win against Australia meant that the Singapore Womens team ended the campaign at 9th place, 1 position up from their initial seed,
Spirit Captain Chelsea (#29) making a pass against Ireland. Photo by Andie @wjmfilms on Instagram.
Spirit Captain Chelsea shares that with such a big commitment and tournament, comes the jitters and doubts. “There were some mixed feelings. Honestly I was feeling quite apprehensive about it because I didn't feel fully prepared. But at the same time there were moments of excitement because it was my first time representing Singapore at the international stage alongside my friends!
The women's team faced their fair share of challenges throughout the journey. “We encountered challenges with team dynamics due to differences in playing styles and personalities. There were moments when we lost confidence as well because we were not performing up to par. We also had several instances of injuries which were worrying given our small roster.”
The Womens team was coached by Head coach Kelff Chai and supported by Assistant Coach Alexander Lim.
As all 3 teams wrap up their campaigns, the teams would like to extend their gratitude to the community. “There was a strong support system from the coaches, team managers, and players in the community, with each person contributing in their own way—whether through encouragement or sharing their knowledge of the sport.”
The Ultimate Players Association (Singapore) is the body responsible for the governance of flying disc sports in Singapore. These sports include Ultimate, Beach Ultimate and Disc Golf.
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